Development of a Metal 3D Printer Using Laser Powder Deposition and Process Optimization for Fabricating Titanium Alloy Parts

레이저 분말적층 방식을 이용한 금속 3D 프린터 개발 및 티타늄 합금 부품 제조공정 최적화

  • Received : 2015.09.04
  • Accepted : 2015.09.30
  • Published : 2015.11.30

Abstract

A 3D printer based on laser powder deposition (LPD), also known as DED (direct energy deposition), has been developed for fabricating metal parts. The printer uses a ytterbium fiber laser (1070nm, 1kW) and is equipped with an Ar purge chamber, a three-dimensional translation stage and a powder feeding system composed of a powder chamber and delivery nozzles. To demonstrate the performance of the printer, a tapered cylinder of 320mm in height has been fabricated successfully using Ti-6Al-4V powders. The process parameters including the laser output power, the scan speed, and the powder feeding rate have been optimized. A 3D printed test specimen shows mechanical properties (yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation) exceeding the criteria to employed in a variety of Ti alloy applications.

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References

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